PS 456 The Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers is a brand new borough-wide public school in Downtown Brooklyn that opened in September 2024 with 3K, Pre-K, and Kindergarten. Located across three floors of the new mixed-use development at 489 State Street, PS 456 will grow one grade each year up to 5th Grade. The school offers a dual-language Spanish classroom in Kindergarten, which will expand to 1st Grade next year.
School hours are 8:30am to 2:50pm, and after-school programming is offered until 5:45pm for an extra fee. The brand new building is fully accessible and has an indoor gym and auditorium, cafeteria, outdoor rooftop terrace with raised plant beds, plus an art room, music room, and library.
The school building is physically located in District 15, but students from anywhere in Brooklyn are welcome to apply. Families can apply for seats in 3K, Pre-K, and Kindergarten in 2025-26 through Myschools. There will be three 1st Grade classrooms next year, and the school will conduct an independent lottery for those seats.
Low-income families are given priority for 50% of seats. Located in one of the country’s most segregated school districts, PS 456 highlights and celebrates racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of its community, and faculty is trained in anti-racist teaching. Siblings also receive priority in the admissions process, as well as native Spanish speakers for the dual language classrooms.
The school also has classrooms with a lower student-to-teacher ratio to meet the needs of students with IEPs. Next year, there will be one Pre-K classroom with 8 students, 1 teacher, and 2 teaching assistant, as well as one mixed-age “Bridge” classroom for Kindergarten and 1st Grade, with 12 students, 1 teacher, 1 teaching assistant.
Grown out of the Brooklyn New School in Carroll Gardens, PS 456 offers an inquiry-based curriculum in a student-centered environment. The school values collaborative project-based learning and students spend a considerable amount of time outdoors. Classes regularly go to either Fort Greene Park (3K & Pre-K) or Prospect Park (Kindergarten). On campus, students garden on the rooftop terrace and take neighborhood walks year-round. Current special classes include PE, Health, Storytelling, and Music, and the school hopes to offer Art class soon.
The emphasis on student-led, hands-on learning is evident throughout the school, from sand exploration to studying millipedes in the classroom to making tree bark rubbings and planting seeds in the rooftop garden. During weekly Forest School sessions in Fort Greene Park and Prospect Park, students connect with nature through sensory exploration and hands-on discovery.
The school works in close collaboration with the Brooklyn New School, sharing teachers, resources, materials, and even PTAs that work together. PS 456 is further supported by partnerships with Brooklyn College, Bank Street’s Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, and Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX).
Sign up for an upcoming open house here. Families applying to 3K can list the school here. Families applying to Pre-K can list the school here. Families applying to Kindergarten (including the Kindergarten Spanish Dual Language program) can list the school here. PS 456 does an independent lottery for open seats in 1st Grade. Click here to learn more and see the various admissions deadlines for each grade.
Updated: November 17, 2024.
